Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Wild Turkey Cornerstone
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Ever since Wild Turkey launched Master’s Keep, their answer to Kentucky’s annual limited edition whiskey series, I’ve been asking (often out loud) when the series would do a rye entry. Wild Turkey’s 101 proof rye whiskey was a massive favorite among the diehards of that obscure drinking category, back in the days before trendy bartenders began reinventing pre-Prohibition classic cocktails and the Rye Craze of the early 2010s took off. Demand for Wild Turkey Rye was so massive and so sudden that they company had to take it off the shelves for more than a year, so as to catch up and reintroduce the expression in a sustainable fashion.

Like all the other “Kentucky Majors,” bourbon is the mainstay at Wild Turkey, but their rye has a legacy and a cachet that the other Kentucky rye whiskeys have never quite been able to match. So as Master’s Keep rolled through their second and third installments, I kept asking “when will it turn to rye?”

The answer is now, with Master’s Keep Cornerstone, a between 9 and 11 year old rye bottled at 109 proof (54.5% ABV). Wild Turkey makes a Kentucky style rye whiskey (of course), sitting right over the minimum threshold required by law at 52% rye, 36% corn and 12% malted barley. Those 9 to 11 years were spent in barrels charred to level 4, the “alligator char” used for all Wild Turkey whiskeys. The production run for this one is 16,000 bottles.

The Whiskey
The look of Cornerstone is bright copper, and the swish leaves behind a curtain of mid-sized legs that start falling and just keep on falling. I’m watching the latecomers ooze down the glass as I type this.

A studied nosing reveals the whiskey as a robust, rustic and fruity rye. Acorns and pine needles come together with a handful of mixed citrus zest, rounded out by a generous helping of vanilla extract. The flavor builds on that foundation, with a bowl of baked apples (done with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla) meeting toasted, slightly burnt pumpernickel rye and a hint of black pepper. The finish goes down a little peppery and a little woody, with the peppery part lingering on the tongue for a respectable amount of time.

Cornerstone is exactly what I would expect from Wild Turkey’s rye if it were taken up a notch in both strength and age, to become a middle-aged, bolder version of itself. So, if you are one of those WT Rye diehards I mentioned earlier (are you reading this, Scott?), make a priority of getting a bottle of this.

The Price
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye is officially priced at $175.